Unexpected Company
by joehalo15
Summary: A story in which Aang and Co. find a strange man, who wants to help on Aangs journey...Kataangy...Pretty bad summary,Rated T just in case RR please      Disclaimer: I don’t own A:TLA. Obviously, or else kataang would already be in plain and simple writing
1. Chapter 1

The Bearded Man

"Come on Aang", Katara says in an almost pleading voice, "We all need some rest, after all we did just battle for our lives, and you almost died without…." Katara blushes furiously realizing her mistake.

"Without what Katara?" Aang asks softly

"Nothing Aang, we all just need our sleep, and in the air is just not the place to do it. Remember when Appa fell asleep on us in the air?" Katara replies, ignoring the aching feeling she has whenever she lies to him. "I'll tell him someday how I feel, just not now, plus I don't even think he really likes me anyway." Katara thinks to herself. _But how will you ever know if he does if you don't tell him?_ A nagging voice in her head asks. "Shut up…" she replies.

Katara looks up as she hears a somewhat muffled sob from beside her "Aang?" she asks "Are you alright?"

"What do you think?" he responds in a somewhat crushed voice "I was just telling you my plan for tomorrow, and out of the blue you yell at me to shut up. How would you feel?"

Katara realizing her mistake, quickly tries to explain. "Aang when I said shut up just then I thought it was inside my head. You see I was having an argument about…something in my head and well, it sorta just spilled out."

"I'm just gonna take Appa down on the next big field I see so we can rest." Aang says in a voice that screams "I don't believe you Katara!".

"Ok" Katara says in a small voice. "What an idiot I am." She thinks to herself. _For once I agree with you. You could have just said 'I was just thinking about you, Aang', and he would be happy, and you would be happy, heck even Sokka would… _"Shut up" she thinks to herself, checking over her shoulder to look at Aang. _Just admit to him ho- _"Not tonight" _Just like always…_

----

"Ok" Katara replies in a hurt voice.

"What is wrong with me?" Aang says to himself. _Yep you have screwed yourself pretty bad haven't you? _

After helping Katara set up her tent and after a few moments of hearing her soft breathing, "I really need to straighten some things out…alone" he mutters and sets off into the woods quietly, as not to wake Sokka and Toph who at some point had fallen asleep trying to comfort each other and still had smiles on their faces, even while sleeping.

Once far enough away Aang mutter to himself with tears rolling down his face "Why can't it ever be that easy with Katara?" and the answer came almost immediately _Because you love her so much that you would do anything to prevent her from suffering…even if that means hiding your true feelings from her. _"Sometimes I just feel s-so alone" _It would be better if you told her how you feel. _"It's just what if she would be happier with someone else? You know, like Zuko or Haru. Why would she ever want some little kid like me?"

----

"Finally" Katara thinks to herself as Aang sets off into the woods "Took him long enough" In a few moments she moves out of the camp, but not without noticing Sokka and Toph sleeping comfortably together, hand in hand. "If only Aang and I could be like that" she thinks. _Maybe you would be if you actually told him how you feel, instead of trying to keep it a big secret. _Ignoring the voice she hears someone sobbing just over the next hill. "Hmm this feels wrong, but…" Katara thinks to herself as she crawls up the hill hidden to Aang at the base of it. As his voice wafts through the air, she can barely believe what she's hearing "she would be happier with someone else…like Zuko or Haru…. Why would she ever want some little kid like me?" "What?!?" Katara thinks to herself, barely containing her emotion "He likes me?" At this thought she can't help but feel somewhat guiltily about her lie to him on Appa, and heads down to comfort her friend

(A.N.: I knew that this constant switching of POV wasn't working out too well so I decided to just try and keep it in as much third person, from now on, as possible. This is my first story so any advice would be extremely appreciated)

But as she heads down to speak with Aang; she spots a small tendril of smoke coming from over the nearby crest across the plain that she and Aang are on. Startled by this she loses her balance and falls down the hill landing almost right into Aang's lap. "Katara, what are you doing here?" he asks, hurriedly wiping tears from his face.

"Shush, there's someone over there with a fire" Katara quickly responds.

"Go back to the camp and warn the others" Aang says, helping Katara off the ground, with a slight blush. "I'll go check it out and see if they're friendly"

"Aang no! It could be a fire nation camp" Katara replies, a worried expression crossing her face, before she quickly tries to cover it up.

"Katara I'm not gonna get hurt again", Aang replies, and slightly softer " And I don't want you to get hurt…"

Katara blushing tries to think of what to say to this, and thinking of nothing, starts to turn away. _Tell him! _"I'll go wake up Sokka and Toph" she decides to say, and starts to walk back to camp

"Katara wait!" Aang yells, and then in a voice that she barely hears "Don't go…don't leave"

Katara, turning, notices him blushing furiously, and can't help but wonder: _Is I more than just liking me that he feels? _Katara, a little flustered, starts to reply "Aang, I umm need to, to say somethi-"

"Is everything ok over here?" a new voice asks.

As the two friends turn to look at their new visitor, they can't help but notice the strange combination of fire nation reds, water tribe blues, earth kingdom neutrals, and even a necklace of a master air bender.

Aang is the first to speak "Who are you?"


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks very much to my one reviewer, dandyparakeet. Reviews really do help, so readers don't be afraid to say anything negative, but constructive things about my story.

Disclaimer: I don't own A:TLA. Obviously, or else kataang would already be in plain and simple writing.

**Introductions**

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Aang repeats, a little more harshly than before, noticing the airbender necklace.

"Well as to who I am, than question can be easily answered, my name is Rukil. The second question I fear will take a bit longer to explain." The man, Rukil answers

"Well then you better get started." Aang responds still feeling as if this _stranger _is disrespecting all his people stood for by wearing a necklace of a people that he obviously didn't belong to. _Although he does seem familiar somehow _Aang thinks to himself.

"Come on Aang can't we talk to him back at the campsite?" Katara says, pleading him with her eyes

_Oh why the eyes…she knows I can't say no to the eyes. _"Fine." Aang replies "It's probably better that we get some rest too, we have a long day ahead of us."

"I'll be right along" Rukil says, "I just need to get some supplies I left back at my campfire."

_I guess we can trust him until morning at least. _Aang thinks to himself

_Some how I doubt that it was his behavior that brought that about…I think you just want the chance to walk Katara, alone back to camp._ A small voice says inside his head

_So? _Aang replies, suddenly with a grin on his face, as he takes Katara's hand and walks back to camp

----

By the time the pair reached the campsite, Katara was barely able to stand she was so tires, and as she started to fall over, Aang caught her, and carried her over to her sleeping bag.

"What are you doing with my sister?!" Sokka's voice says to Aang in a harsh whisper.

"Uh" Aang begins "we were…she was uh" unwilling to admit what she had overheard about his feelings toward her.

"Aang" Sokka started again, but this time much more coldly. "What were you doing?"

_Uh oh _Aang thinks. _If I tell him what happened, will he think less of me? Well I suppose it's better than not saying anything, noticing the color Sokka's face had turned. _

"Well Sokka, I just kinda had a little breakdown about-"

"Wait let me guess, either the battle where you almost died, or my sister." Sokka says with a somewhat resigned smile on his face. Chuckling at his friends shocked expression, he adds "I've been in love twice now, and remember both times about the fear of them not liking me back Aang, and-"

"But Sokka she overheard all that I said, and still didn't respond or say anything back" Aang says in a smaller voice than he would like Sokka to hear from his brother in law _Whoa where did that come from? Although it would be nice…stop it!_

Sokka considering this for a second or two thinks_, I guess I have to have a little talk with my sister._

"Well Aang I don't know what to say, except, that when this relationship escalates, you had better do this mostly out of my sight, and nothing that would hurt her."

"Ok" Aang says rather easily, cheered by the word "when", and the fact that it was ok with his friend.

"Well 'night Aang." Sokka says, climbing back into Appa's saddle, deciding that since it was nearly dawn, it wouldn't be worth it to set up his tent.

"Goodnight" Aang replies, and upon noticing where Sokka was sleeping, he interprets it a bit differently "So" he calls after his friend "when you said 'two loves' you really meant three?"

But Sokka was already asleep, his arm again, around Toph.

Aang, smiling to himself, decides to wait up for the return of that strange man, Rukil. _Why does he seem so familiar to me? He's not old enough to have known me at the air temple, and he wasn't at the South Pole, or for that matter anywhere they had stopped. So why is he familiar?_

Aang was still pondering this question when Rukil himself walked into camp, carrying only what seemed to be a blanket, a small leather bag, and a small kettle of tea, still warm. Aang smiled at this, it reminded him of the kind old man, Iroh, and his excellent advice.

"So are you ready to answer that second question?" Aang asks

"Not quite, but I do have some questions about your companions, but those can wait until morning. You need your rest Avatar Aang", and upon seeing the slightly suspicious look Aang gave him added "You have nothing to fear from me Aang, now go to sleep."

Sleep came unbidden to him, and as his eyes slowly closed the last thing he saw was Rukil taking small sips of his tea.

----

As Aang woke up he realized that Rukil must have moved him inside the tent after he had gone to sleep. _That means, _eyes growing wide, _I slept right next to Katara. _After he had thought about this for a few seconds, only one thing that had crossed his mind seemed to stick _Sokka is so gonna kill me! _He pulled on his clothes quietly hoping not to wake either Sokka or Katara. _She's so beautiful when she's sleeping. _ Shaking his head, trying to get that thought out of his head, he bumps right into Sokka who had been waiting outside with a very angry expression written on his face

"After we had our little talk about this, you went and slept with her?!" the outraged Sokka exclaimed. "I thought you would understand where I was coming from!"

Aang, desperately trying to think of an excuse, stumbled for words "uh…umm"

"You sleep with my sister and all you can say is um?!" Sokka says disbelievingly, growing even angrier. Picking Aang up, Sokka pushes him against a nearby tree. "Explain. Now."

"The fault, I fear, was mine. I laid the lad in there after he had fallen asleep. I didn't want him to sleep so uncomfortably." Rukil says as he walks into the campsite with a bucket of water to put out the still smoldering remains of the fire.

"And just who are you?" Sokka says, more confused than angry now, letting go of Aang.

"My name is Rukil, and I stumbled across your camp during the night and asked Aang if I could warm myself by the fire, and have some tea. He allowed it, but the smell of the tea, along with his wound put him to sleep rather quickly.

"Oh" was all Sokka could say, realizing his mistake. Trying to make some conversation he asks "So where are you from Rukil?"

"Now that is a somewhat difficult question to answer, as I hardly know myself, as I was raised an orphan. But I'd imagine one of the poles, most likely north, as I do not recognize you." answered Rukil.

"Why would you say that?" Aang wondered aloud "Are you a waterbender?"

"Yes Aang, I am, but enough about me, tell me about yourselves." replied Rukil

"We would love to but we are on a tight enough schedule as it is" says Sokka, somewhat disappointedly.

"Then why don't I tag along? I won't be in the way, and plus I could so you some of the specialty waterbending moves I've both made and found during my many travels." Rukil asked

"Sounds ok with me, but I suppose we should ask the girls too, huh Sokka?" Aang says

"Yeah I suppose so." Sokka says. _Even though it's kinda pointless, as nowadays Katara agrees with everything Aang says without even thinking about it, _he thinks dejectedly.

_She loves him, you know._ The voice says to him. _Yeah, I know, it's just hard to let her go…_

----

"Who's the new guy?" Toph asks, stretching, as she gets up for the day.

"Oh, his name is Rukil; he found our camp last night." Aang replies. Realizing that Toph can tell that he was lying, he walks up to her and mutters "I'll tell you more later."

"He also wants to travel with us for a little while." Sokka adds, not noticing the little exchange Aang just had.

"Hey, Twinkle Toes, I think I found your match for a light step." Toph says with a grin as Rukil approaches.

"Ahh, you must be Aang's earthbending teacher, very nice to meet you." Rukil says, with a smile that showed that he heard the little comment about his light steps. "I do know a little about stepping hard though…" he adds with a smile, stepping into a strange stance, that although Aang and Sokka didn't recognize, it was slightly familiar to Toph. _ I just can't place it though… _She thinks, frustrated, unable to think of how it was familiar.

"So, you gonna let me stay, at least for a little while, Toph?" asked Rukil.

"That was already decided before I got here." replies Toph, who already figured out the same basic idea as Sokka.

"So what did I miss?" Katara says with a yawn. Then, when nobody answered right away, Rukil decided to answer.

"Well we were just deciding whether or not I would be allowed to travel with you, teaching some…different waterbending moves. I believe that Aang however still wanted your approval" _Why not, _he thought to himself_, the vibes those two are putting off towards each other even a blind person could pickup. When he remembered Toph, added, especially a blind person. I'll just help it along a little. _"So Katara, will you allow me to travel with you and your companions?"

"Why not I suppose, Aang's going to need all the tricks he can learn in order to beat the Fire Lord."

"So it's decided then, welcome aboard Rukil." Sokka adds _I need to keep an eye on this guy; he seems to approve of Aang's little relationship with Katara._

"Welcome aboard" Aang echoes_ I wonder if this guy could give me some advice about Katara._

"I guess you're part of the team now." Katara adds _hmm, I wonder what those waterbending moves are._

"Are you guys just gonna stand there welcoming this guy, or are we gonna keep moving? Plus Aang you need to work a little more on your earthbending as well." Toph says, adding a somewhat fiendish grin at the end. "A lot more work."

Sighing, Aang just thinks _it's gonna be a really long day tomorrow._


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thanks to my awesome reviewers!

Libowiekitty: Thanks! I'm gonna reveal a bit more of him next chapter, and soon you will know the full story.

Dandyparakeet: Thanks a lot! Actually that is a very good guess, as you will see a bit in this chapter

Dawnnoondusk: Yea I kinda agree. I'm trying to fix the abruptness of this story, and hopefully you can see that work in this chapter

Liselle129: Thanks for reviewing. I've tried to slow it down a little in this chapter, as, I agree, it did seem a bit rushed. And no, I don't plan on him ruling the story, that's the main cast's job.

Twilight Rose2: Hey thanks for reviewing! I can't say how happy I am with having a Beta Reader, and thanks for the advice on this one!

Disclaimer: No own Avatar…Make me sad.

**Misunderstanding**

"Time to wake up Twinkle Toes, your day of practice with yours truly has begun. It actually began about half an hour ago, I felt nice and let you sleep, but now that mood is over, and it's straight to training." Toph said with a grin growing on her face.

"Can't I at least get something to eat first?" Aang replied, getting up from Appa's tail.

"Nope no time, wasted enough time already, time to start training…hey what are you eating?" Toph said, bending the earth beneath Aang's feet, throwing him in the air. Aang reacted instinctively, bending the air around him to change his course, from a nearby tree, to Toph, he noticed too late to slow down.

"Watch out!" Aang yelled, but it was too late. He hit Toph and they both went flying to the ground, landing in a particularly uncomfortable position: his head, mere inches from Toph's.

"What's going on this early in the morni-…Aang? What are you doing…on top of Toph?" Katara asked half confused and half angrily, just getting out of her tent.

"Umm, well Katara, that's an interesting question." Aang replied, quickly getting off of Toph. "You see..."

"No Aang, I don't see…" interrupted Katara, fully awake and angered at what she awoke to.

"Katara, may I speak to you alone?" Rukil says, walking into camp.

"No you may no-"

"May I _please _talk to you _alone_?" Rukil repeats, no longer really asking.

"Fine." Katara answered, shooting a glance towards Aang. _We'll finish this later._

"Aang, you should go to your earthbending lessons now, I'll be showing Katara some of the waterbending moves I promised. Katara, as Aang's master, it will be up to you whether or not to pass them along." Rukil says, and upon noticing Aang's grimace, adds "Don't worry Aang, I've got a few things to tell you, although they might not be as interesting as the new moves I'm going to show Katara."

Both Aang and Katara, significantly cheered by this announcement, go off to their respective teaching areas: Aang, to the rocky hills to the east of the camp, Katara, to the waterfall that lies to the west. But before Rukil goes to join Katara, he decides to check on the only member of the group that still wasn't outside, Sokka. When he checks inside the tent, he can't help but smile broadly. Sokka was still fully out of it, snoring loudly.

----

"So what are these waterbending moves that you're gonna show me, Rukil?" Katara asked, wondering if this lesson was for real or just an attempt to distract her from Aang. As she thought his name, waves of sorrow wracked her. _He had been laying on the ground with Toph…Toph! She was supposed to be her friend, not try and take Aang from her. She was the one person that had known about both Aang's and Katara's feelings, and she decided to try to take him from her? And Aang, don't even start about Aang. HE had pretty much confessed his love to her a few nights ago, and now he was kissing Toph?_

_You never saw them kissing. _A small voice in her head said.

_He was on top of her…_

But she never got a chance to finish that thought, as she noticed that Rukil was beginning to waterbend. _I've never seen those forms before_ she thought, and decided to voice this concern to Rukil

"Well Katara, I'm glad that you at least stopped daydreaming about him enough to pay at least a small amount of attention to my lesson, and before you ask, yes it was that obvious." Rukil says with a grin on his face, as he notices Katara's face turning from a light pink tint, to a deep shade of maroon

"Well," Rukil says "on with the lesson. Now I was showing you a very simple move that some firebenders use to calm themselves after a battle, only in our case using water. However since you _obviously_ know everything about waterbending that there is to know, I would like for us to duel."

"Us duel?" Katara asks, slightly worried, slightly thinking she was ready for whatever he could throw at her. _After all, _she thinks_, I did manage to beat Master Pakku in a private rematch duel we had. _"You're on."

Rukil, merely nodding at this, bows his head at her, and waits for her to bow back. After bowing, he stands perfectly still in the water, not causing a single ripple. As soon as he hears Katara exhale, and a small ripple in the water forms, he smiles to himself. _So overconfident, but then again, so was I when I was learning. _He easily stops the many icicles that Katara had thrown at him, and with almost without effort forms them into one large water whip that he attaches to his arm. "Come now Katara, I always thought that you would put up more or a fight that this" Rukil says, egging her on.

"Oh, I'm far from done with you" Katara says, blowing a loose hair out of her face with a smile

----

"No, not like that Twinkle Toes, I thought I had thought you better than this" Toph says angrily.

"I'm sorry; I just can't concentrate right now." Aang replies, with a frown.

"Well," Toph says "I'm not gonna have this whole day ruined by you having a fight with your girlfriend. Now get back into your stance."

With a groan, Aang shifts his stance slightly, preparing himself for the barrage that was soon to come. As soon as he feels the shifting of Toph's feet he readies himself for the boulder that was hurtled at him at an amazing speed…and gets hit in the gut…again.

"No, no, no. That's all wrong. Didn't I teach you at all? So I guess you've got a lot to practice: both earthbending and love." Toph says with a small grin

"What did you say?" Aang replies, slightly coldly.

"Oh, nothing. Just that your love life right now could use an overhaul." Toph says, now with an even bigger grin.

"Take that back." Aang replies, even more coldly than before.

"What? It's the truth. I mean you did mess up kinda badly this morning, you know, with you looking like you were about to kiss me and all…" Toph says, slightly defensive upon seeing how angry Aang was getting.

"At least I'm trying to tell her how I feel. All you ever do is hide your feelings from him." Aang snaps back.

"I-I, uh, don't…"Toph stutters. _I'm making a fool of myself_

"You know Toph, it does feel pretty good to let out your feelings every once in a while. I'm sorry that I just flipped out like that at you, but what I said is true." Aang replies, calming down.

"It's ok Aang, but do it again, and I might just have to hurt you. Badly. Now run the set again."

She smiles slightly as she feels him shift his feet and even more so when she feels his mood. Calm and collected, peaceful, as if nothing was fazing him at all. _Much like the earth itself_, Toph thinks to herself, _wonder if him venting at me caused that._. However she wasn't smiling for long, as Aang had pushed the earth under her feet back, which she nimbly dodged. However Aang was expecting that same move, so as soon as her feet were back on the ground he stomped his foot, and the solid ground that Toph had landed on, just milliseconds before, liquefied into quicksand. Unable to move her feet, or feel vibrations well, Toph sent out many large boulders at random hoping that she would hit him with one. However, Toph got the strange feeling that there was ground above her, and lifted a hand and touched it. It was a massive boulder that Aang had created out of all the smaller ones Toph had thrown at her.

Sighing Toph lowered her head. "Nice moves."

"I had a great teacher." And with that Aang threw aside the boulder and helped Toph out of the quicksand.

"Thanks" was Toph's only reply, as she was stunned. _How had he beaten her? _"I guess you can go now, we're done for today."

"Oh, and Toph, I think you have the same problem I had before I let out all that emotion a couple days back. It is ok to tell someone you love them, you know." Aang says, walking away. Just as hear is almost out of earshot he adds, with a small smile, "I'm sure Snoozles feels the same way."

As soon as he adds this the earth beneath his feet moves, and he falls over. He sees Toph running back towards the camp, with a smile on her face. "Thanks Twinkle Toes"

As she runs off Aang mutters to himself, "I just wish Katara would give me an answer…" and decides to avoid the camp for a little while, for some obvious reasons, and go forage for some food.

----

"Argh!" Katara yelled, as her attack proved futile yet again. _How does he do it? It's almost as if he already knows what I'm going to do before I even start attacking._

"Ready to give up, and learn from me now Katara?" Rukil asks kindly, as this one sided battle had been going on for nearly an hour now. _I do admire her spirit though, not one to give up, that one._

"Fine…" Katara answered sadly. _I used every trick in the book and nothing even touched him…maybe I shouldn't be a master after all._

"Good, now you may be wondering how I knew what you were going to do before you even finished, am I correct?" Rukil asks with a small smile on his face.

"Yes, that would be kind of nice…" Katara answers still depressed that she got beaten.

"Katara", Rukil says upon seeing her mood, "I have been training my bending for almost 35 years now. You have done incredibly well for one who has just finished their training for being a master."

"So how did you do it?" Katara asks, somewhat cheered by Rukil's words.

"Much like Toph who can feel vibrations through the earth, we can feel vibrations through water. Liquid water is the easiest to do this with; however it is possible to do this with both ice and steam."

'So every time I pulled water out of the pond to do an attack…" Katara says, processing this thought

"…I already knew what was coming." Rukil finishes. "As I move through the water, try to feel my vibrations traveling through the water."

Katara, concentrating on the water, without thinking, lashes out with a water whip, and hits Rukil in the arm. "Oh god, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine Katara, very good job; you truly felt the vibrations just then." As he said this he bending some water onto the wound and pressed his hand against it. Glowing briefly, he pulled his hand away. "Healing always does come in handy, although it's always not enough…" Rukil trails off, lost in thought, while Katara just looks at him confused. After a few seconds however he snaps back into the present, and with a small smile, he instructs Katara in the next move. Katara, so busy practicing the new moves fails to notice the one, small tear running down Rukil's face.

AN: Gasp: what will happen next? Ideas of any sort welcome, except conflicting relationships (Zutara, Taang), but don't get offended if I can't use them right away, or at all. Review Please! Criticism Wanted!


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